Share this @internewscast.com

The offering by Britain of conditional amnesties to ex-soldiers and militants involved in Northern Ireland’s decades of violence is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), Belfast’s High Court ruled Wednesday.

Judge Adrian Colton said the section of a new law introduced last year to offer immunity from prosecution for those who cooperated fully with a new investigative body should be disapplied.

The contentious law sparked more than 20 legal challenges in Northern Ireland, mostly from victims’ families, who said it contravened the ECHR and a 1998 peace deal that ended the three decades of bloodshed.

“I am satisfied that immunity from prosecution provisions under Section 19 of the (Northern Ireland Troubles) Act are in breach of the lead applicant’s rights pursuant to Article 2 of the ECHR. I am also satisfied that they are in breach of Article 3 of the ECHR,” Judge Adrian Colton told the court.

“There is no evidence that the granting of immunity under the Act will in any way contribute to reconciliation in Northern Ireland. Indeed, the evidence is to the contrary,” Colton said, spending more than two hours reading the 200-page judgment.

Britain’s Northern Ireland minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, said that the government remained committed to implementing the law and that the challenge in Belfast was a “complex case” that was likely to lead to further action in higher courts.

Victims’ families, human rights organizations and all major political parties in Northern Ireland — both British unionist and Irish nationalist — oppose the law.

The Irish government is mounting a separate legal challenge against Britain at the European Court of Human Rights, where it has also argued that the British move was incompatible with its obligations under the European Convention.

The judge declared that the immunity provisions were also incompatible with the Windsor Framework agreement governing post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland that London struck with the European Union last year.

His ruling added that other sections of the Northern Ireland Troubles Act, including the halting of certain civil actions related to the conflict, were incompatible with both the ECHR and the Windsor Framework.

The leader of Northern Ireland’s moderate nationalist SDLP party, Colum Eastwood, called on London to abandon its approach.

The more than 20 challenges were condensed down to lead cases that were heard in November. Lawyers for the applicants told the court that victims’ families who had been seeking justice for decades had suffered “a form of secondary trauma.”

Britain has defended the law, saying prosecutions linked to the events of up to 55 years ago were increasingly unlikely. A lawyer for the government argued that the law was a “logical outworking” of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and could draw a line under the conflict.

Around 3,600 people died in three decades of confrontation between Irish nationalist militants seeking a united Ireland, pro-British “loyalist” paramilitaries and the British military.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Sycamore Gap vandals face their fate in English court for felling beloved tree

Individuals who cut down the cherished Sycamore Gap tree are set to be judged in an English court.

As one individual recorded the infamous event on a phone and another…
Rep. Wesley Hunt probes how many of New York’s 670K illegal immigrants are on Medicaid

Rep. Wesley Hunt Investigates Medicaid Enrollment Among New York’s 670,000 Undocumented Immigrants

Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt is seeking clarification from New York Gov. Kathy…
Native American teens kayak major US river to celebrate removal of dams and return of salmon

Indigenous Teenagers Kayak Prominent US River to Honor Dam Removal and Salmon Return

KLAMATH, Calif. (AP) — As vividly colored kayaks glide through dense fog,…
Florida set to execute Michael Bell for 1993 murders

Florida Scheduled to Execute Michael Bell for 1993 Murders

Florida plans to execute Michael Bernard Bell on Tuesday for the 1993…
Port of Los Angeles sees record container traffic as Trump tariff deadlines loom

Port of Los Angeles Experiences Unprecedented Container Traffic Amidst Imminent Trump Tariff Deadlines

Importers are hastily bringing goods into the United States before upcoming tariff…
Prince Harry flies abroad as Meghan Markle stays in US for 'safety'

Prince Harry Travels Overseas While Meghan Markle Remains in US for ‘Security’

Prince Harry has jetted off to Angola where he’ll walk across explosive…
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has watered down sex-ed guidance in schools

Public Uproar Over Cancellation of Proposed Ban on Sex Education for Children Under 9 by Bridget Phillipson

EDUCATION Secretary Bridget Phillipson sparked fury today after scrapping plans to stop…
Katie Lam MP speaking at a conference.

The £6BN Migrant Universal Credit Expense is Outrageous – We Need a System that Supports Only Contributors

FOR most people in this country, it goes without saying that state…
New text messages fuel Alex Murdaugh's push for new trial

Latest Text Messages Strengthen Alex Murdaugh’s Case for Retrial

Recently discovered text messages between the disgraced ex-lawyer Alex Murdaugh and his…
CSX closes only access to Oak Ridge for vital rail repairs

CSX Shuts Down Sole Oak Ridge Access for Essential Rail Repairs

CSX crews shut down the only road in and out of the…
Historic Grand Canyon Lodge destroyed in wildfire, which closes North Rim for season

Wildfire Destroys Historic Grand Canyon Lodge, Forcing North Rim Closure for the Season

A wildfire ravaged the Grand Canyon’s North Rim on Sunday, demolishing the…
Vance Boelter: Federal grand jury indicts man accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman

Vance Boelter Faces Federal Indictment for Alleged Murder of Ex-Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman

MINNEAPOLIS — A federal grand jury has charged a man in connection…